Charles Barkley vs. Wilt Chamberlain: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Charles Barkley, with a career spanning 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000, and Wilt Chamberlain, with 14 seasons played from 1960 to 1973, stand among the league's historical elite..
Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.
Charles Barkley vs. Wilt Chamberlain | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Points | 31st | 7th | 36th | 21st |
| Rebounds | 19th | 1st | 15th | 2nd |
| Assists | 111st | 86th | 63rd | 38th |
| Steals | 28th | n/a | 35th | n/a |
| Blocks | 130th | n/a | 68th | n/a |
| Years | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Charles Barkley vs. Wilt Chamberlain | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Points | 38th | 2nd | 44th | 50th |
| Rebounds | 21st | 1st | 13th | 2nd |
| Assists | 239th | 180th | 197th | 164th |
| Steals | 72nd | n/a | 57th | n/a |
| Blocks | 234th | n/a | 195th | n/a |
Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 31st | 7th | 24 | 23,757 vs. 31,419 | 7,662 |
| Rebounds | 19th | 1st | 18 | 12,546 vs. 23,924 | 11,378 |
| Assists | 111st | 86th | 25 | 4,215 vs. 4,643 | 428 |
| Steals | 28th | n/a | 1,648 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 130th | n/a | 888 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 5th | n/a | 4,260 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 15th | n/a | 8,286 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 35th | 4th | 31 | 8,435 vs. 12,681 | 4,246 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 61st | 9th | 52 | 15,605 vs. 23,497 | 7,892 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 538 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 292nd | n/a | 2,020 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 17th | 21st | 4 | 6,349 vs. 6,057 | 292 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 13th | 2nd | 11 | 8,643 vs. 11,862 | 3,219 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 106th | 124th | 18 | 1,073 vs. 1,045 | 28 |
| Seasons | 91st | 194th | 103 | 16 vs. 14 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 29th | 9th | 20 | 20 vs. 78 | 58 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 57th | 1st | 56 | 21 vs. 271 | 250 |
| 50+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 118 | 118 | |
| 60+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 32 | 32 | |
| 70+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 6 | 6 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 36th | 21st | 15 | 2,833 vs. 3,607 | 774 |
| Rebounds | 15th | 2nd | 13 | 1,582 vs. 3,913 | 2,331 |
| Assists | 63rd | 38th | 25 | 482 vs. 673 | 191 |
| Steals | 35th | n/a | 193 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 68th | n/a | 108 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 7th | n/a | 510 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 17th | n/a | 1,072 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 36th | 15th | 21 | 1,009 vs. 1,425 | 416 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 47th | 19th | 28 | 1,965 vs. 2,728 | 763 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 215th | n/a | 64 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 138th | n/a | 251 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 25th | 23rd | 2 | 751 vs. 757 | 6 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 6th | 12 | 1,048 vs. 1,627 | 579 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 100th | 38th | 62 | 123 vs. 160 | 37 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 45th | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 13th | 10th | 3 | 4 vs. 9 | 5 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 28th | 6th | 22 | 5 vs. 13 | 8 |
| 50+ point games | 9th | 2nd | 7 | 1 vs. 4 | 3 |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 38th | 2nd | 36 | 22.14 vs. 30.07 | 7.93 |
| Rebounds per game | 21st | 1st | 20 | 11.69 vs. 22.89 | 11.20 |
| Assists per game | 239th | 180th | 59 | 3.93 vs. 4.44 | 0.51 |
| Steals per game | 72nd | n/a | 1.54 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 234th | n/a | 0.83 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | n/a | 3.97 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 21st | n/a | 7.72 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 56th | 1st | 55 | 7.86 vs. 12.13 | 4.27 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 147th | 3rd | 144 | 14.54 vs. 22.49 | 7.94 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.50 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 1.88 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 22nd | 26th | 4 | 5.92 vs. 5.80 | 0.12 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 20th | 1st | 19 | 8.05 vs. 11.35 | 3.30 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Wilt Chamberlain | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 44th | 50th | 6 | 23.03 vs. 22.54 | 0.49 |
| Rebounds per game | 13th | 2nd | 11 | 12.86 vs. 24.46 | 11.59 |
| Assists per game | 197th | 164th | 33 | 3.92 vs. 4.21 | 0.29 |
| Steals per game | 57th | n/a | 1.57 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 195th | n/a | 0.88 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | n/a | 4.15 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 8th | n/a | 8.72 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 58th | 36th | 22 | 8.20 vs. 8.91 | 0.70 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 108th | 78th | 30 | 15.98 vs. 17.05 | 1.07 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.52 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 2.04 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 31st | 95th | 64 | 6.11 vs. 4.73 | 1.37 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 19th | 6th | 13 | 8.52 vs. 10.17 | 1.65 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.